Two drivers above alcohol limits

Two drivers who died in a March 28 accident were intoxicated, according to a Leavenworth County sheriff's officer.

Sgt. Andy Dedeke said Tuesday that toxicology reports showed the blood-alcohol levels of both Adam M. Kosanke, 22, Tonganoxie, and Michael R. Arneson, 56, De Soto, were above the legal limit for drivers in Kansas.

While Dedeke refused to specify how much above the legal limit of .08 percent both drivers were, he said, "It was not borderline."

A sheriff's report on the accident has not yet been amended to include the exact blood-alcohol levels.

The accident, which killed both men, occurred about 2:20 a.m. March 28 on U.S. Highway 24-40, just south of Tonganoxie. While Dedeke is convinced that Kosanke crossed the center line of the highway, questions continue to linger about why his 1991 Ford Thunderbird went left of center and collided with Arneson's 1989 Jeep.

"Without a doubt, he crossed the center line, but why he crossed the center line, we don't know," Dedeke said. "It could have been an animal in the roadway. It could have been the other driver went left of center, and it could have been an avoidance behavior on the part of Mr. Kosanke.

"I can't say with any certainty what did or did not happen before the moment of impact."

Kosanke apparently was on his way to a fast-food restaurant in Lawrence at the time of the accident.

It is not clear where Arneson had been before the fatal crash.

"Nobody can account for his whereabouts that night," Dedeke said. "We don't know where (he had been drinking), don't know whether it was a club or another drinking establishment, a restaurant or at home. We just don't know."